The United States confirmed this Friday talks with Russia over a possible prisoner swap to secure the release of journalist Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia for more than three months on espionage charges.
“There were conversations, but these conversations did not lead to a decision. I can’t say that we have a clear path to bring Evan home,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a press conference, noting that he did not want to give “false hope” to the situation to The Wall Street Journal journalist. .
On Tuesday, the Kremlin admitted to having “certain contacts” on the matter, suggesting it is open to a possible prisoner exchange that could involve Evan Gershkovich.
Sullivan added that the United States is “in touch with Russian authorities” to also release Paul Whelan, a former Navy officer arrested in Russia in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison for “espionage activities.”
“A few months ago, even before Evan’s arrest, we made it clear that we are ready to go to great lengths to bring our citizens home,” the White House national security adviser said.
32-year-old Evan Gershkovich was arrested at the end of March in Yekaterinburg, on April 7 he was formally charged with espionage.
According to the Russian intelligence services, the journalist “collected, on behalf of the United States, secret information about the activities of one of the companies of the Russian military-industrial complex.”
US authorities and The Wall Street Journal denied the Russian accusations and demanded the release of Evan Gershkovich.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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